Bin sensing mechanism



Dec. 23, 1969 w, NAGEL BIN SENSING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1968 a R flu Y T N a N N R W w m N W T l| r A WITNESSES .Dec. 23, 1969 w, NAGEL, 3,485,058

BIN SENSING MECHANISM Filed April 10, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 DEC. 23, G w NAGEL BIN SENSING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 10, 1968 United States 1 Patent O Int. Cl. F25c 1/10 US. Cl. 62-137 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Bin sensing mechanism for an automatic ice maker of the type in which a series of pockets are driven in a circular path and manipulated to discharge ice cubes therefrom, the mechanism including a cocking lever driven by the ice pocket carrier to a cocked position from which it pushes and then slips past a sensing member which swings down into the ice bin, with a drive controlling switch operating to an open position as the sensing member swings down so that if the movement of the sensing member is obstructed by ice cubes above a predetermined level, the continued engagement of the cocking lever against the sensing member results in the switch remaining open and the drive means deenergized.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION Copending Fisher US. patent application Ser. No. 719,156, entitled, Automatic Ice Cube Maker Apparatus, and assigned to the same assignee as this invention, contains subject matter which is common in part at least with the subject matter of this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention pertains to bin level sensing mechanisms for automatic ice cube makers of the character in which a rotatable member carrying ice pockets is used to power a bin sensing mechanism for controlling the operation of the ice maker.

Description of the prior art SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with my invention as applied to an ice maker, an arrangement is provided in which the rotatable member carrying the ice cube pockets is used to provide the force for the bin sensing mechanism. To this end, a cocking lever is engaged by the rotatable member at least once during each rotation, and is moved pivotally and translationally to a cocked position. Biasing means are provided to urge the cocking lever back to an at-rest position. As the rotatable member moves past the point at which the cocking lever has arrived at a cooked position, the cocking lever is released for movement back to the at-rest position. A sensing member having a feeler portion adapted to be swung down into the bin is disposed so that as the cocking lever moves from its cocked position to its normal at-rest position the sensing member is engaged to swing the feeler portion down into the bin. Electric switch means for controlling the operation of the drive means for the rotatable member is disposed relative to the sensing member so that upon the feeler portion swinging down into the bin to at least a predetermined degree, the switch means deenergizes the drive motor. The relationship between the cocking lever and the portion of the sensing member engaged by the cocking lever is such that if the feeler portion is unobstructed in its full travel into the bin, the cocking lever disengages from the sensing member and permits the sensing member to return to its normal at-rest position, which again closes the switch means and energizes the drive means for the rotatable member.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a domestic refrigerator-freezer with an ice maker having a bin sensing mechanism according to my invention installed in the freezer compartment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the main parts of the automatic ice maker, these views being fragmentary and partly broken;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view corresponding to one taken through the central axis of the assembly and illustrating the drive relationship between the drive motor and the bin sensing mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the main parts of the bin sensing mechanism in a normal at-rest position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view similar to FIG. 4, but illustrating the cocking lever of the bin sensing mechanism moved to the cocked position that it occupies just prior to actuating the sensing mechanism; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view in the nature of an elevational view showing the relationship between the sensing member, cocking lever and switch means as the sensing member is swung down for determining the level of ice cubes in the bin.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An automatic ice cube maker 10 having a bin sensing mechanism according to the invention as shown in FIG. 1 as being installed in the freezer compartment 12 of a refrigerator-freezer of the domestic type. The ice maker is fastened to the top wall 14 of the freezer compartment and in a location adjacent a side wall so that it is in the path of the low temperature air discharged from air outlet 16. An ice cube receiving'bin 18 is located below the ice maker. Water is supplied to the ice maker through a supply fitting (not shown) installed in the top insulated wall of the refrigerator-freezer cabinet. A slug-type valve (also not shown) is connected between the outlet fitting and the house water supply. This valve may be of a character described in Racki et a1. copending US. application 719,036, entitled, Measuring and Dispensing Valve or of any other type which provides a metered amount of water with each actuation of the valve.

The main parts of the ice maker 10 assembly are illustrated in exploded form in FIG. 2 and include: a machine shell 24 in the general form of a relatively shallow, circular pan having a partly-open floor 26 and a partlyapertured circumferential side wall 28; a rotatable ice pocket carrier 30 which includes a rotatable hub 32 having internal gear teeth 34 and a series of radially-disposed arms or spokes 36 to which the ice pockets 38 (only one shown) are hingedly connected; and, an underlying open- Work enclosure generally designated 40 which includes an open-work bottom wall 42 and a circular open-work side wall 44. In assembled relation, the ice pocket carrier 30 with the series of individual ice pockets hingedly connected thereto is seated coaxially on the open-work enclosure 40 which is then moved up in coaxial relation to the machine shell 24 with the latching prongs 46 on the enclosure received in correspondingly spaced slots 48 adjacent the rim of the shell. The shell 24 is secured by spacer posts (not shown) to the top wall 14 (FIG. 1) of the freezer. To fasten the enclosure 40 to the shell, the enclosure is rotated slightly to seat the prongs 4-6 on the machine shell floor 26 in bayonet fastening fashion. Thus, in this assembled relation, the machine shell 24 and enclosure 40 are stationary, with the ice pocket carrier 30 being rotatable in the annular space between the floor 26 of the machine shell and the bottom wall 42 of the enclosure.

For purposes of understanding my invention, it is only necessary that the basic operation of the ice maker to which it is adapted be understood. For detailed description of the ice maker as a whole, reference should be had to the noted Fisher patent application.

The basic operation is as follows. As each pocket 38 arrives at the fill station, indicated by the legend, a metered amount of water is supplied to the pocket from the outlet 50. As the carrier slowly rotates, the water in the pockets is frozen by the time the pockets arrive at the flex station where the radially outer end portion of each pocket is successively twisted in one direction and then the other direction to loosen the ice cube. At the dump station, each pocket drops about its hinge connection to a depending position so that the ice cubes may fall therefrom by gravity. Then each pocket is slowly restored to an upright position as it moves from the dump station to the fill station. It is to be appreciated that my invention is applicable to other ice makers of this general character in which a rotating hub or carrier is used, regardless of the means for manipulating the pockets to effect the discharge of the ice cubes and subsequent filling of the pockets.

The bin sensing mechanism is arranged to check once during each complete cycle of the ice maker to determine if the cubes dumped into the bin during the cycle has raised the level of ice cubes in the bin sufliciently that ice maker operation should be stopped. Sensing of the level is accomplished by rotating a wire form sensing member 52 (FIG. 2) to a position at which its free end 54 projects down to a predetermined level in the bin. The motive power for this operation is derived from the ice pocket carrier 30, and in particular from the rotating hub 32 provided with a stub post 31 thereon.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it may be seen that a small electric drive motor 56 secured to the floor 26 of the machine shell includes a depending shaft 58 carrying a spur gear '60 at its lower end which meshes with the gear teeth 34 of the hub. So long as the motor 56 is energized, the hub will rotate.

To transfer the power for operating the sensing member 52 from the hub 32, a cocking lever 62 (FIGS. 2 and 3-5) is provided. This lever is pivotally mounted on an upright pintle 64 which is in turn supported from the machine shell floor 26. The cocking lever is biased by tension spring 66 to its normal at-rest position as shown in plan in FIG. 4. In this position, the follower portion 68 of the cocking lever, which takes the form of a depending leg provides with a concave face at the inner end of the lever, projects down into the arc of rotation of the stub post 31 on the ice pocket carrier hub, and rests against the stop 70 formed up out of the shell floor 26. Once during each complete revolution of the hub the stub post engages the concave face of the follower portion 68. The post pushes the cocking lever so that the lever pivots about its pintle and is also moved in translating fashion thereabout, by virtue of the slot 72, to approach a cocked position as shown in FIG. in solid lines after first passing through the intermediate broken line position. At this point, the stub post has moved through an arc corresponding to about 120 of hub rotation.

Continued arcual movement of the post permits the hammer end portion 74 (FIGS. 4 and 5) of the cocking lever to move into a position engaging an upright leg of the bail portion 76 of the wire form sensing member since the closed end 78 of slot 72 prevents the cocking lever from following the stub post, while the biasing spring 66 urges the return of the lever to its normal atrest position. The release of the lever from its cocked position and its snap movement toward its at-rest position results in the pushing or hammer end 74 of the lever pushing the bail 76 so that it pivots about its fulcrum locations 80 in a direction swinging the upright leg 76a of the bail away from the actuator plunger 82 of the electric switch 84 disposed to be responsive to sensing member movement. The plunger 82 is biased internally to a position to follow the bail upright leg 76a and to open the switch 84 (in series with the drive motor 56), as the plunger follows the leg. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, as the hammer portion of the lever pushes the bail in the direction indicated, the plunger follows the leg until it reaches the dotted line alternate position where it has effected opening of the switch and deenergization of the drive motor 56. However, the hammer continues in engagement with the bail until it clears, i.e., slips over, the leg as indicated by the successive broken line positions in FIG. 6.

As the bail is pivoted, the sensing end 54 of the wireform sensing member 52 accordingly moves down into the ice bin. If the level of ice has built up sufiiciently that the designed full travel of the end 54 is obstructed, the hammer end 74 of the lever hangs up against the bail upright leg 76a, rather than sliding over it as is illustrated in the final broken line position in FIG. 6. Thus the switch 84 will remain open and ice maker operation will be stopped until the level of cubes in the bin 18 is reduced sufficiently that the end 54 of the sensing member can fully descend and permit the hammer to slip over the bail leg. It will be appreciated from FIGS. 4 and 5 that after the hammer has cleared the leg, the biasing spring 66 returns the cocking lever to its normal at-rest position for subsequent cocking. Of course, with a low level of ice cubes in the bin, the sensing end 54 will swing down to the design level of the mechanism and then snap back to its elevated, normal at-rest position under the force of the helical spring 86 which urges the sensing member toward its at-rest position. Thus the motor 56 is normally deenergized only momentarily. A stop or bumper 90 (FIGS. 2 and 4) projects out from the edge of the shell floor 26 to restrain the upward movement of the sensing arm as it returns to its normal at-rest position.

Since the sensing arm need only be depressed a slight distance to result in opening of the switch contacts 84, due to the designed limited travel of the plunger 82, the sensing arm may also be used as the manually operated means for terminating operation of the ice maker by simply pulling it downwardly and springing it inwardly to be held by a depending lug 92 (FIG. 2) on the lower rim of the enclosure adjacent the dump station.

As is explained in the noted Fisher application, in the preferred form of the ice maker for production, the switch 84 is susceptible to response in accordance with temperature variations as well as with operation of the bin sensing mechanism. Thus, if the thermostatic aspect of the switch senses that the sustained temperature in the freezing compartment is too high for sutficiently rapid freezing to occur, the switch opens in response thereto. It will be appreciated however that a separate thermostatic switch can provide this function, and that the switch responsive to the movement of the sensing member may be controlled solely by that operation if desired.

While the description has proceeded in connection with the sensing member including a bail portion with an upright leg 76a of the bail being movable into and out of engagement with the plunger 82 of the switch, in one alternative embodiment the bail may be provided with a plate secured to the bight thereof and movable therewith,

and the switch 84 placed to bear against the plate so that no difficulty is experienced with misalignment of the switch plunger with the upright leg 76a. In other words, an extended surface member may be provided to preclude misalignment of the plunger with the portion of the sensing member against which it bears.

It will be appreciated that by driving the bin sensing mechanism from the rotatable carrier, the sensing of the ice cube level in the bin may be done independently of the position of any particular ice cube pocket. The gearing between the motor and hub also gives adequate power for slowly cocking the lever, thereby avoiding any independent gearing or linkages which might be necessary if the power for bin sensing were taken directly off the motor.

I claim:

1. In an automatic ice maker of the type having a series of successive ice pockets carried by a rotatable member for slowly traversing a circular, generallyhorizontal path and being successively manipulated to discharge the ice from each pocket into a bin at a station along said path, and means to drive said rotatable member, appartus for controlling operation of said ice maker in accordance with the level of ice cubes in said bin comprising:

a cocking lever biased to an at-rest position and adapted to be periodically engaged by said rotatable member to be driven to a cocked position and then released for movement to said at-rest position;

a sensing member biased to an at-rest position and including a feeler portion adapted to be swung down into said bin from its at-rest position, said sensing member including a portion disposed for engagement by said cocking lever to swing said feeler portion down, and then disengagement by said cocking lever to permit said feeler portion to return to its at-rest position, said engagement and disengagement occurring during movement of said cocking lever from said cocked position to its said at-rest position; and

electric switch means controlled by the disposition of said sensing member to effect energization of said driving means when said sensing member is at said at-rest position, and to effect deenergization of said driving means as said feeler portion swings downwardly, so that an obstruction of said feeler portion in its swing-down movement, by ice cubes in said bin exceeding a predetermined level, thereby preventing a disengagement of said cocking lever from said sensing member, results in said switch means remaining in a position to effect said deenergization.

2. In an automatic ice maker of the type having a series of successive ice pockets carried by a rotatable member for slowly traversing a circular, generally horizontal path and being successively manipulated to discharge the ice from each pocket into a bin at a station along said path, and means to drive said rotatable member, apparatus for controlling operation of said ice maker in accordance with the level of ice cubes' in said bin comprising:

a cocking lever having a follower portion and a hammer portion, said follower portion being disposed to be engaged, when said lever is at an at-rest position, by said rotatable member to move said lever to a cocked position and then release it at least once during each revolution of said rotatable member;

means biasing said cocking lever to said at-rest position;

an ice cube level sensing means including a feeler arm portion adapted to be swung down into said bin, and a driven portion disposed to be engaged and then disengaged by said cocking lever hammer portion upon the movement of said cocking lever from a cocked position to said at-rest position, to effect the swing-down movement of said feeler arm portion;

means biasing said sensing means to an at-rest position in which said feeler arm portion is elevated; and

electric switch means controlling energization of said means for driving said rotatable member and controlled by the disposition of said sensing means, said switch means effecting energization of said driving means when said sensing means is in its said at-rest position, and being operable to a position effecting deenergization of said driving means upon a predetermined degree of movement of said sensing means from its said at-rest position toward said swingdown position, so that an obstruction of the swingdown movement of said feeler arm portion by ice cubes in said bin results in continued engagement of said hammer portion with said driven portion of said sensing means and a consequent deenergization of said driving means.

3. An automatic ice maker according to claim 2 ineluding:

means for manually latching said feeler arm portion in a position sufficiently swung down to effect deenergization of said driving means through said switch means independently of said cocking lever position.

4. An automatic ice maker according to claim 2 wherein:

said cocking lever includes a slot having a closed end opposite from said follower portion;

means mounting said cocking lever with said slot receiving a stationary pintle so that said cocking lever is movable in both pivotal and translational fashion as said follower portion follows an arc in accordance with rotation of said rotatable member, said closed end of said slot preventing said cocking lever from following said rotatable member beyond a predetermined location so that said hammer portion moves into engagement with said driven portion under the force of said means biasing said cocking lever to an at-rest position as said rotatable member moves out of engagement with said follower portion.

5. An ice maker according to claim 2 wherein:

said sensing member comprises a wire-form having said feeler arm portion on one end and said driven portion on the other end, said wire form being pivotally supported between said portions, said driven portion being disposed so that a part thereof is movable into and out of engagement with said electrical switch means in accordance with movement of said feeler arm portion.

6. In an automatic ice cube maker of the type having a series of successive ice pockets carried by a rotatable member for slowly traversing a circular, generally horizontal path and being successively manipulated to discharge the ice from each pocket into a bin at a station along said path, and means to drive said rotatable member, apparatus for controlling operation of said ice maker in accordance with the level of ice cubes in said bin comprising:

a cocking lever disposed for engagement by said rotating member to be driven to a cooked position and then released during a predetermined rotation of said rotatable member;

a sensing member including a feeler portion adapted to be swung down into said bin to detect the ice level therein, and a second portion adapted to be engaged by said cocking lever upon its release from said cocked position to effect said swing-down motion of said feeler portion;

means biasing said cocking lever to a position to be engaged by said rotating member;

means biasing said sensing member to a position in which said second portion is adapted to be engaged by said cocking lever in a cocked position;

a switch for controlling said drive means and responsive to the positioning of said sensing member, said switch being normally closed with said sensing member having its feeler portion elevated with its secnd portion in a position to be engaged by said cocking lever in said cocked position, and operating to an open position upon predetermined limited movement of said sensing member after engagement of said cocking lever with said second portion of said sensing member;

said cocking lever being disposed relative to said second portion of said sensing member to be disengaged therefrom during movement of said cocking lever from said cocked position toward said at-rest position so long as said feeler portion is not obstructed from its full range of movement in a swung-down direction;

whereby an obstruction of said feeler portion by ice in said bin results in the continued engagement of said cocking lever with said second portion, and thereby prevents the return'of said sensing member to a position operating said switch to a closed position.

7. In a material producing device including drive means therefor and a storage bin into which the material produced is supplied, apparatus for controlling said device in accordance with the supply of said material in said storage bin:

first means periodically driven by said drive means to a cocked position from at-rest position;

second means biasing said first means toward said atrest position;

means for releasing said first means from said cocked position upon operation of said drive means past a 8 position corresponding to said rst means reaching said cocked position; supply sensing means, driven by said rst means upon said release of said first means, from an at-rest position out of said storage bin to a level sensing position in said bin to detect an oversupply of said material; means to return said supply sensing means to its said at-rest position if said supply sensing means is not obstructed in its movement into said storage bin by an oversupply ofsaid material; and switch means controlling said drive means in accordance with the disposition of said supply sensing means and operable to denergize said drive means upon limited initial movement in a direction into said bin and to reenergize said drive means during said return of said supply sensing means to its said at-rest position out of said bin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/ 1964 Morton et a1. 62-344 X 4/1967 Dahlgren *6-2345 X 7/1967 Shaw 62-437 5/1968 Frohbieter 62-137 X US. Cl. X.R. ZOO-61.2 

